


Epals

by Thinking_of_a_Dream



Category: One Piece
Genre: AU, F/M, M/M, Male Slash, Minor Character Death, side pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2018-10-21 00:00:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 11,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10673448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thinking_of_a_Dream/pseuds/Thinking_of_a_Dream
Summary: Luffy and the gang believe Ace needs to find someone, because he is obviously very lonely. Ace doesn't want to admit it though, and finds himself forced to join an anonymous online emailing site. Marco is also a lonely guy and ends up on the same site as Ace. They end up as emailing partners, and gradually grow closer.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I know I should be posting the next chapter to my other story. However, I will be working on this one in between writing chapters for A True Belonging. Right now, chapter two of ATB is nearly finished and will be posted soon. 
> 
> For now, though, enjoy the beginning of a new story!
> 
> Disclaimer; I do not own one piece!

They think that I need to “meet someone.” Honestly, I am  _ perfectly fine  _ on my own thanks. 

Okay, so that’s a lie.

I, Portgas D. Ace, am a very lonely person. If they heard me admit that, they would go crazy. I would gladly meet someone, but there’s a problem with that…

 

“Come on, Ace, even your brother says you need to find someone!  _ Your’e own brother who even has a girlfriend.  _ Luffy is the densest person we know when it comes to all that romance stuff!” Sanji pointed his lit cigaret at my chest. I rolled my eyes.

“So? What is your point here? Sanji, I am doing just fine on my own; I am quite glad that Luffy has Nami to keep him company and to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“The point, Ace, is that we see how mopy you are when you have to go home. You are the only person living in that two bedroom, two story, house. Therefore, we have taken the initiative and have set up a blind date for you!” Nami grinned, looking too smug for her own good. I paled, considerably. 

Sure, I should be happy, but that is actually rather scary. The last time they tried this, it ended with the girl screaming at me because I “couldn’t see a wonderful, beautiful, woman if it slapped you in the damn face you asshole.” 

Or something like that… 

I sighed, and looked back over at the evil witch of a woman.

“Nami… as much as I should appreciate the offer… I am not going.”

“Why not?” Robin spoke up, giving me a knowing look. I swallowed, suddenly nervous. She was always too perceptive for her own good. 

“Oh, uhm, because…” I paled some more, everyone was now looking at me; even Luffy who had been occupied with this third lunch, “I just… don’t… like… that… gender…”

 

Silence. That is all I got as an answer; deadly silence where you could swear you could hear a cricket chirping from all the way outside. 

I slowly stood, before mechanically heading towards the door.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh no you don’t, Ace!” Franky grabbed my wrist and pulled me back towards them. I fell back to my seat with a slight huff.

“It’s about damn time, if you ask me.” Nami crossed her arms, looking rather pleased with herself. 

“What?” was the dumb question that left my mouth. What are they talking about? Weren’t they just going to judge me and not speak to me again? I swallowed, looking past them and at the large tv playing some random show. We were currently in Luffy and Nami’s house, for our usual weekend get togethers.

“We already knew you were gay, Ace. We just had to wait for you to admit it to us before we could do anything about it. There wasn’t a blind date set up, either.” Robin spoke in her usual soft tones, amusement dancing in her blue eyes. At this point, I felt rather defeated. I really should have known they would accept my sexuality, after all Sanji and Zoro are dating; have been for nearly three years now. All it took to get them to finally accept their love for eachother was taking them to a forest then ditching them. Although we didn’t see them again for nearly two weeks after that. They didn’t appreciate that very much, but we’re still grateful in the end. 

“Oh. Well, in that case, am I off the hook now?” a stupid question, really. 

“Of course not you idiot. Robin and I actually found this wonderful site last night, which got us to form this plan in the first place.”

“I refuse.” I crossed my arms in an x in front of me, looking away from them once again. I will not let them do this, even though I am quite lonely, I don’t  _ need  _ to find someone. 

“If you don’t agree to this, then I will raise what you owe me to 1 million dollars.” Nami grinned.

“What!? You can’t do that! I would owe you for the rest of my life!” 

“Exactly. Now, will you get on the site we found or not?” so, basically, I either had to go along with her stupid idea, or owe her money until my last breath. I growled lightly,

“Fine.”

“Excellent! Robin, grab my laptop from the bedroom would you? Thanks.” Nami smiled, watching as Robin nodded and stood.

 

“So..this is what exactly?” I was now scrolling through a light blue page with a lot of words on it. There were also a lot of hearts and a section to sign in. 

“It’s called Epals, a site where people log in and find an Epal. An Epal is similar to a pen pal, only you’re sending emails and not handwritten letters.” Robin explained. The guys had all left; some to stores, others to the nearby park. Though Sanji had left to his own apartment because he had a wedding to fix food for. 

“We already took the liberty of making you an account. Your username will be Mera2, and the password is whitebeardpirates.” Nami typed the information in and a new screen came up. In the middle of the screen was a picture of me, and below that I saw things like “view profile, inbox, sent, pictures.” 

“Now, we have to get going if we want to get to our spa treatments on time. Have fun, Ace. Oh, and I will be making sure that you actually get on there and talk to someone.” 

I groaned, smacking my head on the table. This is just great. 


	3. Chapter 3

Marco POV

 

I glanced up at the sound of my door opening. There’s only two people who have a copy of my house key, and that’s Law and Perona. 

“Marco!” It was Perona.

“In my office!” I raised my voice so she could hear me. I have an office in my home, because if I didn’t then I would be stuck at my workplace nearly 24/7. I work at this publishing place called Phoenix Books, as an editor. As Perona walked in, I removed my reading glasses and relaxed back in my chair. 

“Hey, you work way too much. The deadline for Law’s book isn’t until October. It’s still only July. Give yourself a break for once, Marco.” Her large brown eyes look me over in worry, “I know! You need to get a boyfriend!” she clapped her hands together in excitement, her long pink hair moving slightly with the movement. My eyebrow twitched. I had told her about my preferences about a year ago, though this is only the second time she has brought up getting a boyfriend. I told Law as soon as I became his editor, so he knew ahead of time. Some people would rather not associate themselves with a homosexual after all, and I didn’t want to go through all of that again.

“Absolutely not.” I glared slightly, already knowing that I had no choice in the matter. When she decided on something, it was near impossible to get yourself out of it. 

“I actually found this site the other day, while scrolling through sites about ghosts and other paranormal activities.” She walked around the desk, and pulled my laptop towards her before opening a new tab and typing in “Epals.com.” 

“Epals?” This was new, last time she shoved me into going on a blind date with someone who wasn’t even gay. I think his name was Thatch, or something. 

“Yeah, it’s like pen pals, only you are using emails and not handwritten letters.” Pulling the laptop back towards me, I scrolled through the description and rules. It seemed pretty interesting.

“Hmm. Alright, I suppose I could give it a shot.” I mumbled, hitting the signup button.

“Yes! Now you  _ must  _ tell me as soon as you start emailing someone! Anyways, I have to go, I made an account myself and there might be an email waiting for me. When you click on the ‘new epal’ button, it will randomize the users and give you someone to email. It usually takes about an hour to give results. The tricky part is, the site keeps everyone's profile locked to everyone else until they have sent at least four emails to each other. Well, I am leaving now. Have fun!” Perona grinned, gliding out of the room. 

Glancing back down at the screen, I gave a small sigh before creating an account. 

Thirty minutes later I decided to stop stalling and hit the ‘new epal’ button; I sat there staring at the screen for the next hour after that. Then finally the screen changed, saying ‘we have found you an epal!’ 


	4. Chapter 4

Ace POV

 

I had just woken from one of my (annoying) narcolepsy induced sleep attacks when my computer gave a high pitched ding, a female voice following afterwards with the words “you've got mail.” At first I was highly confused, since my computer has never done that before. Then I remember being forced into signing up for Epals, and I wish I was still asleep. Groaning, I stood from the seat I was slumped in and made my way to my desk. ‘ _ What if this person is a total jerk? Maybe it's a female? Then I could just tell everyone the idea was a failure and we can move on and forget this ever happened. I don't want to make a fool of myself talking to some stranger. They could be a pedophile for all I know. A totally creepy pedophile.’  _ I stared down at the electronic, the inbox button blinking up at me every few seconds. I am nervous, but that is understandable right? Right? Slowly I clicked the button and the message opened up on my screen. It wasn't very long, but it's hard to write a long letter when you have no idea who you're going to be talking to. As I read the letter, I felt my tense shoulders relax just a little bit. ‘ _ At least it's a guy.’  _

 

**Hello, I am your new epal. Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing seeing as my friend decided I need to meet someone. However, I told her I would give it a shot so here I am. I suppose I should start off with telling you a little bit about myself. If you request for a new epal, I completely understand. My first name is Marco, so feel free to call me that. I am 27 years old. I live in Japan, but went to school in America before moving back. That’s all I can think of to say right now so I will leave it at that.**

 

**-Marco**


	5. Chapter 5

Marco’s POV

 

I am just leaving my bedroom when my computer goes off, a female voice telling me I have mail. Quickly walking towards the laptop settled on the office desk, I open the reply. Checking the time, I see that there’s still ten minutes before Law arrives, I read it over.

 

**Marco,**

 

**It’s nice to meet you. My name is Ace. I also do not really know what to say. I can tell you that I work as a firefighter and I am 25 years old. Also, I have no plans to request for a new epal. I went to school here in Japan, and have never visited any other countries. I joined epals because my friends think I need to meet someone; it was better to give in to their demands. Hope to hear from you again soon.**

 

**Ace**

 

Smiling, I wrote a reply and hit the send button just as Law entered the room. 

“Talking to an epal?” Law questioned, his voice calm.

“Yeah, he seems okay so far.” I swiveled around my chair to face the man. Law is a surgeon at the nearby hospital, along with the writing he does on the side. It’s no wonder there are signs of dark circles forming around his eyes. 

“What is this epal thing exactly? I asked Perona but she was too distracted by her own epal.” Law leaned against the doorway, loosely crossing his arms and letting one ankle rest on the other. 

I chuckled before replying, “basically, once you join you hit the ‘request new epal’ button. A random person is chosen for you to email; though the person is always someone who doesn’t already have an epal. You can’t see the other person's profile until you send a certain number of emails to each other, and after that it’s up to you to look or not. That’s pretty much it.” 

“Sounds like a waste of time.” Was all Law said before leaving the room. I gave a small snort of amusement before standing up and following him out.


	6. Chapter 6

Ace’s POV 

I’m startled awake at 6 in the morning when both my computer and pager go off at the same time. Groaning, I crawl out of the bed and ignore the tangled mess of sheets this causes. Really, it’s too early to be awake. I go to where the pager is sitting next to my laptop on the nearby desk, letting out another groan to see I am being called in. Apparently a huge fire is refusing to go out and they need to send another round of firefighters in five minutes. Good thing I live two minutes away from the place if I drive. That’s probably why they called me in. Throwing on clean clothes and quickly brushing my teeth, I glance at the computer and see a reply from Marco. With a frown, I jerk away from it and run out to my car. I have three minutes left to get to work, replying to him will have to wait.

 It’s 9 p.m when I stumble through the front door, exhausted. I absently wish people would not start fires and maintain proper caution to prevent them. After we got the fire out and people rescued this morning, I had three others to go to. They weren’t that big, but still persistent. Thankfully there were less than five casualties. Meandering to the fridge, I pull out a pre-made meal Sanji makes sure to stock my fridge with, and plop onto the couch.

Around midnight I am in my room about to go to sleep when I remember Marco’s email. Sighing, I move to the computer and open it.

 

**Ace,**

 

**Hello again. I always thought being a firefighter was too dangerous for me to consider doing. I once thought about being a pilot, though I ended up an editor. We can swap likes/dislikes/and how our day went if that is agreeable to you. To start, my favorite animal is a phoenix. I like summer, and visiting the ocean. As for dislikes, that would be winter, sushi, and my friend Perona’s obsession with stuffed animals. Seeing as it’s 6 in the morning, I have not really started my day yet. Though so far it seems to be good. My other friend, Law, and I have a book signing to go to soon. After that I will be editing his most recent manuscript. Hope to see a reply.**

 

**Marco**

 I wrote a sleepy reply, not really remembering what all I wrote by the time I got to my bed and passed out.

 The following morning I woke up around 11, wondering how I managed to get to my bed. It took a few moments before I remembered Marco’s email. I still couldn’t remember what I said, but shrugged it off at the sound of the front door opening. Why did I think it was a good idea to give a key to all of my friends in the first place?

“Aaaceee!” A loud voice reached my ears, a grin splitting my face at the sound. Quickly getting up, I entered the kitchen and saw Luffy munching on one of the pies Sanji had put in my fridge.

“Luffy, hey. You are here early today.” I grabbed a glass and filled it with milk, sitting down at the table, across from my brother.

“Yeah! I wanted you to be the first to know!”

I swallowed my mouthful of milk, “know what?”

“I’m going to propose to Nami!” I choked on the milk I just went to swallow, coughing a few times before looking at Luffy.

“What?”

“Did you hit your head or something, Ace? I said I am going to propose to Nami.” Luffy chuckled, before finishing the pie off.

“Well, that’s awesome! Completely not what I expected to hear, but awesome nonetheless. Congratulations, Luffy.” I grinned, before gulping down the rest of the milk and standing from the table.


	7. Chapter 7

Marco’s POV

After getting home from the book signing, and realizing I hadn’t gotten a reply yet, I spent the rest of the day unable to focus. I couldn’t really figure out why it was taking so long to reply back, but since the day hadn’t ended yet I wasn’t as worried as I could be. However, by the time 10 p.m rolled around with no reply, I found myself pacing despite my eyes refusing to stay open. I had spent the day blankly staring at the manuscript and repeatedly looking at the computer and jumping at every little sound. It wasn’t until I woke up in the morning and laid in bed, that I realized being that worried was strange and had no real reason to it. This ended up being an hour long thought process that was interrupted by Perona bursting into my bedroom with a bear stuffed animal clutched to her chest.  


“What are you doing still in bed? It’s 9 in the morning. You never sleep this late.” She looked down at me, confused.

“Oh. I was thinking. I spent all day yesterday too concerned about why Ace hadn’t replied yet to really do anything. I ended up falling asleep sometime after ten.” I watched as she grinned, a laugh bubbling from her shortly after I stopped talking. Heaving out a sigh, I got out of the bed and headed towards my office. 

“Someone’s got a crush.” She said in a little sing song voice.

“I do not! Besides isn’t it a little early to be getting any sort of crush on the man?” I huffed out in irritation, quickly opening Ace’s reply and feeling myself relax as I read the email, “good, he was late replying because of work. Hopefully he didn’t get injured.”

“Nope! It’s never too early Marco!” She chuckled, before leaving the room.

 

** Marco, **

 

** I’m so sorry thisreply is so late. I was called into work ealry and just got home an hour ago.or maybe it was two. just remembered you sent an email this morning. Likes...meat, sleeping,myjob,sleeping, meat...my job. Err dislikes...being alone, seeing my friends hutr. Today was good,busy but good. Theres a reallybigfire this morning. Had to take careof threee others afterwafs. Imgonna go to sleeep now. Night  **

 

** Ac **

 

I chuckled at the sight of the email, wondering if the poor guy is awake yet. I write out a reply before doing what should have been done yesterday; editing the manuscript. 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

Ace POV

** Ace, **

 

** I’m glad you were able to reply, late or otherwise. You are okay though right? Being a firefighter can be a dangerous job. I must say your last email was interesting to read. Hope you are well, and have a good day. I must go now, talk to you again soon. **

 

** Marco **

I feel a blush forming across my face at Marco worrying for my wellbeing. The sound of Nami letting out a loud “Awe” causes me to snap back into focus and turn my head towards her. She’s grinning at me, and I can feel my blush growing brighter. I let a small scowl form on my face and I cross my arms.

“Don’t pout Ace, I can’t help it that you’re adorable when you blush.” Nami laughs, and a few chuckles from the other around me joins in with the sound. I just let my arms fall with a huff. I should have waited to real his email. I nearly fall out of the chair when Franky claps my shoulder with a large hand, laughing reaching my ears as he goes to the kitchen. I write a reply back and hit send just as Sanji is calling us into the kitchen for dinner. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've officially finished this story, so it will be updated once a week. I will be working on finishing A True Belonging next and will begin posting that later.   
> Enjoy :)  
> please let me know if you see any plot holes or other errors

Marco POV

**Marco,**

**Thanks to your previous letter, my friends found endless amusement in the reddening of my cheeks. Insert mental pouting here please. Aside from that yes, I am doing just fine. I hope you are as well? Do you like seafood? My friend Sanji is a sous chef and his seafood is to die for. Seriously. You have to try it sometime. Crap, I must go now, work is calling.**

**Talk to you whenever I get a chance to,**

**Ace**

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the letter, trying to stifle the laughter so I don’t disturb my father. Right now, I am visiting him in the nearby town where he lives. He is currently on the phone, talking to a coworker about some sort of issue. It doesn’t take long for him to end the call and walk over to where I am on the computer typing up a reply.

“What’s gotten you to laugh so openly? It’s been ages since I last seen you laugh like that.” His words were a mix of confusion and amusement which I nearly rolled my eyes at.

“It hasn’t been _that_ long since I last laughed.” I glanced up at him, hitting the send button.

“Okay, let me rephrase that then. Since the last time you laughed for real.” I paused for a moment, taken off guard. Sighing, I turned in my seat to face him.

“Perona recently forced me to join a site called Epals. It’s where you are randomly partnered up with a stranger and you exchange emails anonymously. Well I got a partner pretty quickly; his name is Ace. I was laughing at a letter he sent.” I could feel the smile across my lips though I attempted to ignore it. For some reason whenever I think or talk about him I end up smiling and my heart does these weird palpitations.

“Oh? Well hopefully you aren’t talking to a creeper. Stranger danger and all that.” He grinned, and this time I did roll my eyes at him.

“Really dad, I am not 10 years old anymore.” This made him laugh, his large white beard bouncing at the motion.

“Tell me more about this Ace character.”  Edward sat down on the couch opposite my own chair, bending forwards to place his elbows onto his knees.

“For starters, He’s not too far off from my own age. He has a bunch of friends and apparently loves the seafood Sanji makes. He has narcolepsy and so does his little brother Luffy. Oh! And Luffy recently got engaged to their friend Nami, Ace is both really excited and dreading the idea of Luffy as a married man. From what he has told me so far, I can’t say I blame him.” I let out a small laugh, my grin nearly splitting my face in half, “Ace works as a firefighter so his hours are pretty crazy sometimes, and I can’t help but worry he is going to get himself hurt one of these days. He loves what he does though, which is a good thing.” I paused, not sure what else to mention, deciding that I should probably also take a breath. Ed’s grin mirrored my own and soon he was laughing like a mad man.

“What? What’s so funny” I’m pretty sure I didn’t say something that funny.

“Marco, son, have you even thought to pause for a moment? It’s pretty obvious you are developing some strong feelings for Ace.”

“Wait, no, he is my friend.” I frowned a little bit, thinking. Maybe he has a point though? The heart palpitations, thinking about him all day, grinning when I talk to him or about him. Butterflies at the idea of even meeting him one day. My eyes widened slightly, realization slowly dawning, “crap.”


	10. Chapter 10

Ace’s POV

 

**Ace,**

**I am also doing good. I even got to spend some time with my dad today; that doesn’t happen very often because he is always either busy with work or in the hospital. Since he has poor health he ends up there more often than I would like. My mom passed away when I born due to complications during birth. What about your parents?**

**Marco**

I stared at the screen of the computer for a good hour after reading the last letter from Marco, my brain short circuiting. What was I supposed to tell him about them? They were well known here in town? Admittedly for not so good reasons after… well. _That_ happened. Groaning, I roughly rub at my face with both hands before standing and marching to the kitchen. I need coffee. I pause in the doorway, frowning.

“When did you get here?” I asked, wondering how I didn’t hear or see him come into the house let alone walk past me.

“Oh, so you are still alive, I was getting worried.” Sanji glanced at me over his shoulder, a large skillet in one hand and spatula in the other. He was just starting to make what looked like filet mignon.

“I’m fine, but what are you cooking here for?” I started the coffee maker and sat on a nearby chair.

“It wasn’t what I originally came here for. I was just here to drop off the bowls I borrowed last week. Then I seen you looking like a kicked puppy and figured it wouldn’t hurt to cook something for you.” Sanji shrugged and went back to the food sizzling. I smiled, knowing this was how Sanji says ‘ _I know something is wrong, but I am here to talk to if you need to. I will make some of my delicious food to cheer you up while you talk.’_ So, I finished making my mug of coffee and sat back down, considering the cup as though it held all the answers.

“I got another letter from Marco today. He asked about my parents.”

“Oh.” Sanji paused his flipping for a moment before continuing, “what are you going to tell him?”

“I don’t know. I’m not even sure I can answer his question. Who’s to say the news of that day didn’t reach where he lives?”

“And what if it didn’t? Ace, you can’t rely on what-ifs here. If you want this thing with Marco to be long term you will have to talk to him about it eventually.”

“I know. You’re right.”

“I’m always right.” I rolled my eyes, hearing the smirk in his voice.

“It took me years to talk to Luffy about it.”

“Yes, but you were still kids back then, Luffy wasn’t even here when it happened, and he was still 4 or 5 years old when he came into your life. You’re an adult now. It’s not as fresh in your mind as it was back then.” I sighed, hating how logical Sanji sounds.

“It will take a few days to get the courage to, but I will tell him the truth.”

“All of it?”

“Yes, all of it.”

“Good. Now eat up!” Sanji placed the food on two plates and gently set one down in front of me, a grin on his face. I let my own smile form, digging into the food.

“Thanks.”

“I don’t know what you’re thanking me for, I cook your food all the time.”

I snorted, and we finished eating in companionable silence.


	11. Chapter 11

Marco POV

It’s not until two days after I sent the last email that my computer goes off with a reply. I had just been starting to think I had asked the wrong question and wasn’t going to get a reply every again. Just thinking that had my heart constricting in sorrow. I also thought maybe something happened at work and he got injured, and that turned me into a worrying wreck. So, it wasn’t a surprise that I was on the computer barely a few seconds after it dinged. However, reading what it said made me wish I hadn’t asked at all.

**Marco,**

**Sorry for the delay. I was trying to get the courage to answer and how to say what I am going to say. To be honest I was not expecting you to ask about my parents. But I guess the question was going to come up sooner or later. Probably better that it came up sooner.**

**Right now, my dad is serving life in prison and my mom is dead. I would just leave it at that and move on. I can’t though because I want you to know the truth and the whole story and not whatever crap you may have heard from the news about it. I was 6 years old at the time, and I lived in a small house with my mom. My dad had left before I was born, and she never said much about him except that he was a wonderful man once. The night that it happened, I couldn’t sleep and went to find my mom. What I didn’t expect was to hear quiet fighting in the front room. Of course, I was curious and scared, and went to investigate. I remember seeing my mom who was angry and yelling harshly at a large man who was getting progressively madder.**

**I was confused and said “Mom?” which was a huge mistake. She instantly turned around, shocked, and told me to go hide in my room and if she doesn’t come back to find me in 10 minutes to call 911. I didn’t listen, unable to understand what was going on at the time. I didn’t know why I should go hide, or who the angry man was or why they were fighting like they were. “Who is that, mom?” was the next thing I said, and I remember the man grinning down at me and saying, “I am your papa, little guy.” I had shaken my head no, saying how my dad was a sailor, going on awesome adventures. This seemed to snap something in him, because next thing I know, my mom is screaming at me to run and the man is grabbing at her throat with his hands saying “you lied to him about me? How could you not tell him who I am!” and a bunch of other stuff I no longer remember very clearly.**

**He didn’t release her until she weakly asked him to not hurt me, and she fell to the floor. Dead. It only took a few seconds for him to realize what he did, then he glanced at me and ran out the door without looking back. I stood there for a long while until the neighbor came to see why the door was open because fall was setting in and the air was chilly. She found me standing there staring at my mothers’ body, freezing.**

**That’s the story of my parents and where they are right now. I will understand if you don’t want to talk to me again. Since I am the son of a serial killer that killed my mom. Even if he did turn himself in a few days later. I never even got to find out what they were initially fighting over.**

**Ace**

I stared at the screen, tears falling down my face silently. I couldn’t believe he had to go through something like that at such a young age. Standing up on shaky legs, I grab my phone and send a text to both Law and Perona asking to meet as soon as possible.

It doesn’t even occur to me until the next day as I am trying to figure out what to say back that this occurred in Violet, the same town I am currently living in.


	12. Chapter 12

Ace POV

 

**Ace,**

**Do you live in Violet Town? There is a lot I could say in regard to what you have told me and none of them are sufficient enough to express what I am feeling. So, I will just tell you this; you are not to blame for what happened and I would never ever stop talking to you because of something that happened when you were little and had no control over. Because you did not have any control over what happened. You couldn’t be responsible for that mans actions or stop him. Don’t blame yourself and don’t think I am going to just stop talking to you.**

**Marco**

I am surprised that Marco still wants to talk to me after that, but the grin on my face doesn’t waver. I am falling in love with this man so quickly it’s frightening. I pause my steps at that thought, not really expecting to admit to falling in love with him so easily as that. One would think it would happen with me kicking and screaming or something. At least a large amount of denial. But as I run the words through my mind again, all I feel is an overwhelming sense of truth coming from them. It’s easy to accept it as truth. I finish walking back towards the front room where all the others are sitting, talking about the future wedding. Knowing Nami, it’s going to be extravagant and pricey. At least she has the money to afford that. I sit down, the grin still on my face.

“What has you grinning so much?” Franky asks, eyebrow raised.

“I am in love with Marco.” I state, not seeing a point in beating around the bush about the matter. Luffy spurts his coke back out, staring at me in shock. It only takes a second before he’s laughing, and everyone is grinning at me.

“What?” I ask, not quite understanding what caused the reaction.

“We already knew, even made a bet to see how long it would take for you to admit to it.” Nami answered.

“Yes, and it seems Luffy here won, surprisingly.” Robin smiled, pulling out a wad of money to toss over at the mentioned male. Zoro and Sanji doing so as well, grumbling the whole time but still smiling. I rolled my eyes, Franky and Brook chuckling and Chopper sighing at the loss of money.

“Oh, and he asked if I lived in Violet, so he probably lives here as well.”

“That’s awesome! If he does then that would make meeting him so much easier.” Sanji winked at me, Zoro smacking him in the head.

“Stop being a pervert.” Zoro muttered.

“But you love it when I’m being perverted.” Sanji whispered slyly, causing a blush to rise in Zoro’s cheeks.

“Whatever.” Was Zoro’s only reply, causing Sanji to laugh.

“I think Sanji has a point though. Why not ask him out on a date if he does live nearby?”

“I agree with Nami-san! You could even do something romantic like a picnic. I could provide the music, Sanji could provide the food.” Brooke gives me a crooked grin, laughing as a deep blush forms across my cheeks.

“No, absolutely not! I can’t risk letting you guys lose on the poor man.” I shook my head no, the blush growing at their answering whines of ‘why not.’


	13. Chapter 13

Marco POV

 

“Of course, you should ask him to meet!” Perona grinned, her stuffed bear crushed against her chest. I had just told her and Law that Ace does live in Violet. I want to meet him in person, though would he want to meet me?

“I don’t know, Perona, what if he says no?” I tapped my pen against my knee, staring at the living room ceiling. She sighed, glancing at Law for help.

“Marco, you should ask no matter what you think he will say. If you don’t ask, then you will forever ask yourself what would have happened if you did.” I stopped tapping the pen, staring over at him. I hadn’t really thought of that happening.

Sighing, I stood up and walked over to my laptop and turned it on, “okay, so how should I ask?”

This time it’s Law who sighs, “just be blunt, that way he doesn’t misinterpret what you are trying to say.”

“Okay.” Steeling what courage, I have, I quickly typed out my reply and hit send before I changed my mind.


	14. Chapter 14

Ace POV

“OH MY GOSH! Oh my gosh. Oh.  My . Gosh.” 

“Ace? What’s happening?” Luffy poked his head around the doorway into my office, where I was trying and failing to not freak out. Standing, I walked to the living room where the others are sitting. Though it’s only Luffy, Sanji and Robin here right now. I didn’t say anything until my body met the  couch .

“Marco asked for us to meet 3 days from now at a nearby Café. The one Sanji sometimes helps out at.” I spoke slowly, tasting the words as they leave my mouth.

“That’s good, isn’t it?” I nod, not sure I can speak without my voice cracking, “so reply back to him and accept his invitation. I will make sure to be free and help out at the Café that day.” I glanced at Sanji, his grin almost blinding. However, I relaxed slightly, my stomach twisting in nervous excitement.

“Do you have something to wear?” Robin spoke, looking up from the book she was reading. I took a moment to think, before giving a negative.

“Not really, just my usual jean shorts and button up shirts. I don’t know if that’s okay to wear when meeting someone for the first time.” Robin hummed, before getting her phone out and typing a message to someone.

“Don’t worry, I will have something ready for you wear by then.” She smiled slightly, and I momentarily worried for my safety before brushing it off and smiling back.

“Thank you, Robin.”

“Not a problem.” She went back to her book,  and Luffy emerged from the kitchen with a sandwich . I’m unsure when exactly he left to make food, and make a note to check how much food is left later. 


	15. Chapter 15

Marco POV

It’s been 2 hours since I first stood in front of the closet and yet  none of the clothes seem good enough. This is my first date with Ace; I am finally meeting him in person. I’m nervous as hell. Roughly rubbing my hands over my face, I sit on the floor trying to figure out what to do. 

“Aren’t you ready yet? You have to leave soon.” Perona came into the room, twirling an umbrella between her hands. I looked up at her, shrugging.

“I’m at a loss on what to wear, I’m going to be late because of  this and then he will probably hate me and never talk to me again.” 

“Don’t be so dramatic. Here.” She tugs me from my seat and shoves me towards the bathroom before turning back to the closet. I sigh and strip my shirt off, twisting the shower on. Perona walks back in, shoving an outfit at me.

“Wear this, and get going before you really are late.”

“Thank you.” I smile at her, putting the clothes on a nearby shelf. She simply smiles back and leaves.

 

I reach the Café 10 minutes early, to my relief. Looking around, a lot of the tables are taken but there’s one easily seen from the door that is open. Going up to the counter, I order a  medium coffee.

“Could you do me a favor as well?” I ask the woman who takes my order, she blinks in slight confusion before nodding, “I am meeting someone for the first time here and I’m not sure what he looks like. But his name is Ace.  So, if someone with that name comes looking for Marco could you send them to my table, please?”

She smiles, “sure thing, when should they be here?”

“In about 10 minutes.” I grin, taking a steaming cup from here, “thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I will be sure to send him your way.” I nod, walking back to the table and sit down.

The wait is painful, and nerve wrecking. I spend the ten minutes sipping the coffee, and nervously looking up every time the door opens. Eventually I just stare down at the cup thinking of everything that could possibly go wrong. He could be an old man, or a criminal, or maybe he will stand me up, maybe this was all a horrible joke to him. 

My ears twitch at the sound of a male talking, and the mentioning of my name. I don’t let myself look up until a shadow falls over me a few moments later. Then the sound of the chair opposite me is being sat in and I find myself looking up at the other person. When I do, it’s like time slowed down just to let me look a little longer without being hindered by the passing of time.  His dark brown eyes that nearly look black,  freckles covering his cheeks and nose, his black hair, and that nervous little smile. If this is a dream, it is a very good one.

“H-hello. Um, I’m Ace.” His small smile widened into a shy grin, and it’s then that my insides finish melting. I give a smile back, chuckling. My finger is rubbing my cup, and I can’t seem to stop the nervous movement, as his grin becomes a little more confident.

 

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, I’m Marco.” 


	16. Chapter 16

Ace POV

I stand there staring at the Café doors for a good 2 minutes before finally walking inside and heading to the front. I don’t let myself look around at the other people to try and guess who might be him. For all I know he could be late. Or not show up at all. Swallowing heavily, I ask for a medium iced tea. Once the kind lady hands it over to me, I pause. Maybe she could help me.

“Can I ask you something?” She looks back up at me, a smile gracing her features.

“Of course.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know if someone named Marco has come  by, would you? I am supposed to meet him here.” Her smile brightens as she nods.

“Yes, he’s here! He mentioned you would be meeting here. Ace, right?” she  pauses, and I nod a confirmation, “Marco is sitting right over there. He’s the one in the bl ack shirt with blonde hair.” I follow the direction she nods in, immediately finding the figure she is talking about. He is bent over his cup, the seat across him is empty. 

“Thank you.” I smile at her, before walking towards the other man. He doesn’t look up until I sit down , but when he does my heart stutters and suddenly it’s hard to breath. His hair, while a little odd, seems to fit him perfectly. His bright blue eyes almost seem like they are glowing, then his almost lazy looking smile looks like it’s taunting or even flirting all by itself. Beautiful . Sexy.  Handsome .  Incredible .  It’s in those few moments I know very  clearly, I am too far in to ever be able to retreat if things don’t go well and that frightens me. However, things could also go beautifully well. Realizing I’m still not really breathing and if I don’t say something soon then he might get the wrong idea. 

Taking a deep breath, I  stutter out, “H-hello.” 

After the introductions, I’m a little unsure on what to talk about next. 

“So, Ace \- “

The next few words were cut off by the sound of my head meeting with the table, thankfully I had barely enough of a warning to move my cup out of the way. 

I am unsure on how long I am out for, but when I wake back up I see Marco smiling down at me and a muffin in his hand. Groaning slightly, I rub at my eyes.

“I am so sorry, Marco, I was hoping that wouldn’t happen. How long was I out?” I look back at him, his small chuckle catching me off guard. He’s not upset?

“It’s alright, though I am glad you told me about your  narcolepsy or I would have thought something was horribly wrong from the way you just passed out. You were only out for a few minutes. About 5 probably.”  I sighed, taking a drink of my tea.

“It shouldn’t happen again. If it does and you see me about to pass out, please make sure I don’t injure myself. That’s always a possibility if I am not careful. Man, that was embarrassing.” 

“I will be sure to do so. I thought you looked quite adorable laying there sleeping.” I feel by face heating up, not expecting him to say that.

 

“I-I well. You’re… your smile is more adorable,” my eyes widen, rather horrified that my filter just quit functioning. Marco just laughs though, and it’s an amazing laugh. 

Wait, are we flirting?  Oh.  The nerves come back, but this time joined with a pleasant  butterfy feeling and in those moments with Marco sitting across from me, everything is perfect. 


	17. Chapter 17

Marco POV

We walk back to Ace’s house, since it’s only 2 blocks away. I’m going to have Perona pick me up later. Entering the house, we are greeted by a group of smiling faces and Ace is shoving them back to the front room to sit down. 

“So,  you’re Marco ?” A man with short brown hair grinned up at me, laughing slightly. Ace sighed, pulling an extra chair into the room from the  dining area.

“Marco, meet my friends. Luffy there is my younger brother. The young lady next to him is his fiancé Nami. The teenager is Chopper, next to him is Franky. The other young lady is Robin. Afro dude is Brooke, sitting next to him would be Uso p p. Zoro is the one with green hair and his boyfriend, Sanji, is in the kitchen getting stuff ready for dinner.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. Ace has spoken about you a lot.” I heard a small snort escape Zoro, and I smiled when Ace glared over at the man.

“The only thing Ace talks about to us lately is you.” Nami grins, a rather strange laugh coming from her. I mentally shivered, wondering if it would be best to not get too close to the woman. Ace sighing made me look back over at him, a bright blush covering his face made a smirk emerge from my lips.

“I’m flattered, Ace. I didn’t know you thought of me so often.” I laughed as he splutters over his words, before Sanji pokes his head into the room to announce food is ready. 

We all sit around the table, and I am rather surprised such a large table could fit in the room. I figured the meal would be slightly awkward with a stranger among the group but surprisingly it was still extremely lively. They made sure to keep me included in the  conversations , so it was almost like I had been a part of them from the start. My favorite parts were when Ace would look over at me and smile or blush, even sometimes initiating contact through playful swats with his hand or shoulder. I ended up staying until almost 11 pm and  Perona was a little irked at being called so late. She still agreed to pick me up  though, so she couldn’t have been too upset. 

I stood outside with Ace, everyone else staying inside. 

“Thank you for today, I had a lot of fun.” I  grinned over at him, earning a small chuckle.

“I should be the one saying thank you. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time. I love my friends, but sometimes it’s lonely since almost all of them are in a relationship but me .  So, it’s nice to finally have someone else I can talk to outside the group.” 

I gave a small hum, his smile having turned a little sad, “well, Ace, you know how to contact me aside from the emails now that you have my number.  So, use it as much as you wish.” Perona pulls up in her deep red car after I spoke, opening the door to the  passenger side.

“Hey, let’s go home, I need my beauty sleep!” I noticed she was still in her bunny covered pajamas. I figured she would have changed so no one would see her not at her best. Mentally shrugging, I turn back to Ace.

“I have to go now. I will talk to you later, and I hope we can do this again soon.”

“Of course, goodnight Marco.” Ace smiled, and I walked down to the car, waving before Perona drove off.

“So?!” I glanced over at Perona’s grinning face, confused.

“What?”

“I want details! Details!” 

Rolling my eyes, I  smiled , “okay well we met at the Café. He’s amazing, really. Seeing him took my breath away, his smile and laugh melted my insides every time. He’s so adorable when he sleeps too,” I chuckled at the  memory of his sleeping face.

She glanced over at me with a knowing look before focusing back on the road, “did you ask him to go out with you yet?” 

“Of course not, it’s a little too soon for that. It would be better to get to know  each other in person just as well as we know  each other through words.”

Perona simply rolls her eyes, and doesn’t say anything else the rest of the way to my house. That night I sleep with a smile on my face. 


	18. Chapter 18

****

Ace POV

I wake up a few days later to a text message from Marco, and I spend a few moments staring at it. I hadn’t expected him to ask to meet again so soon, and the idea makes my heart beat faster and a grin cross my face.

** {Sent from Marco at 7:32 am} **

** Hey, I know we were just hanging out a few days ago but I would like to ask you out on a second date. If you say yes, I will call the nearby  restaurant Baratie and reserve us a table for the next possible day we can go.  **

I quickly called Sanji, hoping he wasn’t busy  at the moment . Thankfully he answers on the second ring.

“ Sanji here.”  His voice reaches me through the phone, along with the sounds of chopping.

“Hey, I have a request, if it’s possible for you to do it.”

“ Depends, I will do my best. What is it?”

“Marco  wants to reserve a table at your  father’s restaurant . Do you think you can get us one for the weekend?” I hear Sanji laugh, the chopping pausing momentarily.

“ Can I? That’s a silly question, Ace.  Of course, I can, so long as the  restaurant is completely packed. Give me 5 minutes and I will call you back.”  Sanji hangs up before I can say anything else and I stand up to grab some food. 

It is 6 minutes later when my phone rings, and I quickly pick it up.

“Hey.”

“ Luckily, there are a few open tables on Saturday. Do you have something to write this down  on, so you don’t forget?”

“ Yeah, one second.” Pulling open a nearby kitchen drawer I pull out the pen and notepad normally used for grocery lists. Turning to a blank page I click the pen to use it, “okay I am ready.”

“ Good,  your reservation is for Saturday at 6 pm, at one of the private tables. The reservation is under the name Vinsmoke. Oh, and don’t worry about the tab.”

“ Thanks, Sanji! Vinsmoke? What the heck is that?” I would argue about the money but figure it would be pointless, since he would just pay it anyways without me noticing. 

“ You’re welcome. Anything for Luffy’s big brother after all, and Vinesmoke is just a family name. The workers know not to question anything when it’s used for a reservation.”

“ Okay. Well thanks again! I will let you get back to your cooking.” I grin when Sanji simply hangs up the phone, and open the text from Marco again.

** I just got us a reservation at Baratie for Saturday at 6 pm! The reservation is under Vinsmoke, d on’t be  late ; )  **


	19. Chapter 19

Marco POV

I am at the hospital visiting my dad when I get Ace’s text about the reservation. My dad had been admitted the day before yesterday after collapsing in the middle of a store. I haven’t told Ace yet. I look up after coming to the door to the hospital room and knock before entering. It’s a private room, thankfully. 

“Hey, dad.” I pull up a chair and sit beside his bed. 

“Marco, nice  to see you again. Has something good happened? You’re smiling.” 

“Oh, I have a date with Ace this Saturday.” I grin down at him, noticing the sickly color that’s taking over his skin. The sunken eyes and tired expression. It’s easy to tell his condition isn’t improving. I try to ignore it, pretend he is getting better. 

“Is that so? I am glad that you have finally met someone, and I was able to see it happen. For a little while I was worried I wouldn’t live long enough to watch you fall in love. Now that I have gotten to, I will be able to die happily.”

My face twists into a hurt expression, and I look away to the floor, “please don’t say that. You’re going to be fine. We will be able to take you home once you are heathy again.” 

“Oh, Marco, I am so sorry but we both know I don’t have much longer.”

A dry sob escapes, and I take his hand into my own. We sit like that in silence until a nurse comes to tell me visiting hours had ended.


	20. Chapter 20

Ace POV

It’s 5:30 pm when I am finished getting ready to leave; dressed in a plain black suit and red tie. I had tried to fix my  hair but it was  futile, so it stayed in  its messy state. Running a hand through my hair, I turn and leave the small bathroom and grab my keys. Thankfully no one will be stopping by today to give Marco and I some time alone. Of course, I don’t expect this to happen every time I am with  him, but it is appreciated. 

Shutting the door, I quickly go towards my motorcycle and get ready to leave the driveway. The motorcycle was a gift from Shanks, an old friend of Luffy’s. The bike is done in black with a mix of red and blue flames licking up the sides. The helmet is pure red in color, a black skull on the back covered in blue flames. I don’t drive it very often, preferring to hitch  a ride with one of the others,  due to not wanting to damage it. There’s also the narcolepsy to think about. 

There’s a part of  me that wants to impress  Marco though, and I can’t really stop myself from grinning as the bike speeds down the road to the  restaurant . 

I reach the building with 15 minutes to spare, and after tossing the keys to a nearby male I walk into the building. 

“Name, please.” The female at the desk asks, and a grin at her.

“Vinsmoke, reservation for two at 6.” 

“Very well, the other person  arrived minutes ago and is waiting at the table for you. Please follow Eric, he will take you there.” She motions to the skinny male who appears next to her.

“Thank you,” I give her a small nod before following the other male. It only takes a few moments and rows of full tables to reach the back, where there is table hidden by heavy curtains. Eric parts one slightly and  gestures me through before walking away.

“Marco, glad to see you again!” I am grinning, a blush taking over as I see what he chose to wear. It’s a simple suit, a deep navy color and a pure white tie on the black undershirt. There’s a silver watch on his left wrist as well and it takes a lot of effort to tear my eyes away . Clearing my  throat, I  sit down in the other chair, “I hope you got here okay.”

“Hello, Ace. I did, Law was happy to drive me here since he had the time and nothing else to do.” Marco  took a sip of the red wine in his glass, a similar drink in front of me and I stare at it wondering why I was given wine. I told Sanji it messes with my medication. Marco must  have noticed me frowning at the glass and continued, “Sanji is the one who is taking care of our food and drinks. He notified me that you have some sort of  pomegranate juice instead of the red wine.”

I blink at him  momentarily , before I realize what he said before that, “who’s Law?” The jealousy that flows through me suddenly nearly knocks me breathless. Taking a deep gulp of the juice to calm down, I note that it is  pomegranate ; one of my favorites. I glance up in time to see Marco smirking at me, before he begins speaking and my eyes drift down to his lips.

“Law is the writer I edit books for, he is also asexual and too focused on his writing to pay attention to anyone else . Well, maybe Perona but she’s more like his sister than a  romantic interest. Besides, I have my eye on someone else.” 

 

“Who?” my frown deepens, realizing I might not have a good chance after all. However, the thought is shoved from my mind when I am greeted with a desire filled look from Marco. All I can really do is swallow heavily, whipping my suddenly sweaty hands across my thighs. Did they raise the heat in here? Okay, well, I’m going to take that expression to mean me. If he keeps that up, I am going to have a very big problem, “o-oh. Fuck, Marco if you keep looking at me like that \- “

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to finish, and the last thin g I heard before blacking out was a chuckle and the movement of my glass.


	21. Chapter 21

Marco POV

I find myself amused by Ace’s jealousy over Law. It was too tempting to tease him a little bit by letting my desire for Ace show in my expression. I just didn’t expect him to pass out on me again like that. I gave a small sigh, and Sanji walked through the curtain only pausing a moment at seeing Ace snoring on the table.

“Why am I not surprised? Well at least it’s a table this time, and not in the middle of walking down the steps. That was a nightmare.”

“What?” My eyes widened at the information and I glanced over at Ace in worry. 

“Oh, sometimes when this happens he ends up in a decent amount of danger. I lost count how many times he accidentally got hurt because he didn’t get even a second of warning to try and alter the course of his fall. Anyways, he always bounces back. What do you want to eat? I will just make Ace one of his favorite dishes.”

Not knowing what to really say back I shrug, “anything is fine with me, maybe something with fruit.” “Alright, something with fruit coming right up.”

Sanji grinned, before leaving again. By the time Ace began to wake back up, I had gone through a dozen different thoughts. The main one being something I was trying to not think about. The one about my dad. I glanced up as Ace groaned, and I smiled at his small pout.

“Awh and that was such a good atmosphere. Well, sort of. Maybe not for a public restaurant.” Ace chuckled, and I nearly smiled at his words. But the thoughts had already taken hold of me again and I simply managed a sigh. Ace looked at me with a worried expression, one I couldn’t lie to.

“My dad is dying.” The words were choked out, and I watch as Ace flinches in shock before he reaches out and takes both my hands in his.

“I am so sorry. Marco, I will be here for you so please if you need someone to talk to or cry on then come to me. I don’t care what time it is.” The strong feeling of caring and understanding coming from Ace, and his eyes, nearly had me shaking. I felt my heart racing as I nodded in agreement, unable to do much else.


	22. Chapter 22

Ace POV

Three days later, Marco and I are walking to my pace after stopping by the Café we met the first time at. It’s a rather nice day out, so we opted to just walk. Since heading back home, I counted that our hands have brushed each other 4 times. There’s one block left to go when we brush hands again, only this time Marco intertwines his fingers between my own and gives a gentle squeeze. Blushing, I squeeze back and neither of us let go until reaching the house.

“What would you like to drink?” I ask, unlocking the door and walk inside. Marco follows as we go to the front room.

“Water is just fine.” I nod, and head to the kitchen as he sits down on the tan couch. Returning a moment later with a water and can of soda, I turn to brows the DVD collection.

“We should watch a movie. Any ideas?”

“Hmm… Do you have Thor Ragnarok?”

“Of course, I do!” I chuckled, grabbing the movie and slipping it into the DVD player, “I will go make some popcorn.” I stand up from my kneeling position, and Marco simply nods. He goes to say something, but his phone starts to ring.

“Sorry, I should probably get that.” He digs the phone from his pocket, brow furrowing as he looks at the collar ID. I give him a concerned look, before heading the kitchen to give him some privacy to talk. The conversation isn’t very long; when I enter the room again with a bowl of freshly popped food, the image of Marco on the couch bent over with his elbows on his knees, and hands covering his face isn’t what I expected.

“Marco? What happened?” I sit down next to him, bowl on the table, and reach out to put a hand on his shoulder only to find it shaking slightly. Marco slowly turns his face to look at me, his eyes shining with tears threatening to fall.

“He’s gone. My dad is gone.”


	23. Chapter 23

Marco POV

Ace had just headed to the kitchen to make popcorn when my phone started to ring. The caller ID was from Law, who doesn’t usually call when I am out with someone. I answer it, curious.

“Hello?”

“Hey. I have some rather bad news for you. I was at the hospital visiting your dad. They offered to call you instead, but I insisted it was me who called.” Law’s voice was soft, gentle really. When he mentioned my dad, I could feel the blood in my veins turn to ice and my heart skipped.

“Law, what happened?” I needed to know. I didn’t want to know.

“I’m sorry. Your dad passed away while I was visiting him. He told me to tell you he loves you and he is very proud of you.” I feel a choked sob escape, my breath shaky.

“I see. Thank you for telling me. I have to go, Ace will be back in a few moments.”

“Okay. Promise me you wont push everyone away because of this. Especially Ace.”

“I will do my best.”

“Thank you.” Law hangs up, and I drop my face into my hands, trying to hold all the tears back. I didn’t want Ace to see me crying. However, it seems he might anyways. I hear Ace walk in and place the bowl op popcorn on the table, his soft words reaching my ears. Asking what’s wrong.

My words are weak as I answer that my dad has passed away, and the couch dips slightly as Ace sits next to me. He takes my hand in his own, rubbing his thumb across the top of my palm.

“What will you do now?” The question is unexpected, thinking he would apologize even though it wouldn’t really change anything. I think about it for a couple of minutes, not knowing what to answer. Then I realize the answer I want to give is an obvious one.

“Can I say the night with you? I don’t want to be alone right now.” I’m afraid of his rejection, clenching my eyes shut in anticipation of the blow to my heart for the second time that day. But the blow never comes. I look back up at him, since that seems to be what he is waiting for me to do.

His smile is calming, and there is a sadness in his eyes as he answers, “of course you can stay the night, Marco. I did tell you I would always be here if you needed me.”

I smile at the answer and lean over into his side. Instead of pushing me away, he puts his arm across my shoulders and brings me deeper into his side while pressing play on the remote.

We stay like that for the whole movie, popcorn left forgotten on the table beside us.


	24. Chapter 24

Ace POV

I was shocked when Marco asked to stay the night. I figured he would want to go home. However, I figured it was more than likely for the best that he isn’t alone right now and decided to let him stay. Once the movie was over, we watched a few more until it was about 10 pm and we both were starting to fall asleep. Standing from the couch, I tug Marco up with me.

“Come on, I will show you to my room. You can sleep there tonight.” Marco only nodded, before following behind me. I let him enter the room, glad I cleaned it earlier in the day. It’s a medium sized room with a full bed and a color schemed based off earth tones. Marco looked around the area a little bit, a smile gracing his features was a welcome sight.

“You can use any of my clothes if there’s something that fits you. I will be out on the couch if you need anything.” I turn to leave, but Marco quickly turns back around and gently grabs hold of my wrist, “Marco?”

“Sorry, um, can you stay? The bed is big enough for two people.” I swallow slightly, before giving a small nod.

“Thank you.” Marco’s relieved expressed calms my racing heart a little bit and I walk over to the closet to find us both some pajamas. I end up giving Marco a pair of plain grey pants and shirt, pulling out a similar set for myself.

Climbing into the bed, we situate ourselves, so our backs are to each other, but still slightly touching. It takes a little while for me to fall asleep, feeling too aware of the warm body that is Marco next to me.


	25. Chapter 25

Marco POV

I wake up in the middle of the night, having had a nightmare of my dad’s death. Unable to control the tears now, they start to fall freely as my body shakes. It takes a moment to realize I had turned in my sleep to curl into the warm back beside me. I hope my crying doesn’t wake Ace up, but unfortunately it does. I attempt to stop crying as Ace shifts and turns his head to try and look back at me.

“Marco?”

“Sorry for waking you. I just…” Another sob comes out and Ace turns around to face me, a hand coming up to wipe off the tears.

“It’s okay to cry, Marco. You don’t have to always be strong around me.” Ace whispers, his hand holding my cheek. He moves us, so he is on his back, and I am laying against his chest. I feel his arms wrap around me, and I let go of the pain I had been holding inside.

We lay there for a few moments; the only sound is of my sobs until Ace begins to hum. I don’t recognize the melody but the sound and feel of the man I love is keeping me grounded. It doesn’t take long for the tears to stop and we just lay there together in silence. I expected it to be an awkward silence, but it was comfortable and accepting and I knew that if I have Ace, then everything would be okay.

I knew, even as I fell back asleep, that there was no one else I would want to be with. I think that dad knew, even without meeting Ace, that I finally met someone I could be happy with. Now, having him and his friends meet Law and Perona is going to be an interesting experience.


	26. Chapter 26

Ace wakes up to the feeling of something soft against his lips, and he opens his eyes in confusion before pulling away slightly.

“What?”

Marco’s voice greets him, an amused tilt to the words, “I wasn’t sure how to wake you up, so I decided to try kissing you,” a blush quickly takes over Ace’s face, and he is a little unsure on what to do or say. The last thing expected to wake up to was that, “besides, I couldn’t just stay the night at the house of the person I am in love with and not do anything at all.” Marco is still gazing down at Ace, leaning on his elbow to help keep him up.

It takes a few moments, but Ace finally manages to reply, only stumbling a little bit, “I – you- oh. Um, well, yes.”

“Yes?” Marco’s brow raised in amusement at Ace’s blushing face as he tried to form words. Ace couldn’t figure out how to say he also loves Marco, and it was starting to frustrate him. Giving a small huff and smile, he simply leans up and captures Marco’s lips in his own again.

Marco presses against Ace’s lips, moved them so he’s hovering over the other male, his arms on either side of Ace’s head. Marco gives a small lick to Ace’s bottom lip and is quickly granted access.

Ace can’t help the small groan as Marco’s tongue invades his mouth, playing alongside his own and guiding it to Marco’s mouth.

They continue the kiss until they can’t breathe and have to part, both breathing heavily. Marco smirks down at Ace, before rotating his hips against the others to get some friction.

“O-ooh, fuck,” Ace groans, hands fisting into the cloth on Marco’s chest, “I-I love you too, Marco.”

Marco pauses for a second, a grin splitting his face, before he reaches down to rub Ace’s hard on through his pants and kissing him once more.

Ace lets Marco invade his mouth again for a few moments before ended the kiss, his breath heavy and arousal growing quickly, “Please, Marco.”

“As you wish, love.”


End file.
